EL DORADO, Kan. – The Butler women raced to a big halftime lead but struggled down the stretch in a 64-47 home win over Dodge City on Wednesday at the Power Plant.

The Grizzlies dominated the final 15 minutes of the first half, turning a 6-6 ballgame into a 32-point lead in quick fashion. The Grizzlies saw the lead reach 20 points after a bucket and free throw by Samantha Satterlee with 6:10 to play in the period.

The lead went to 30 points on a layup in transition by Ashlee Ivy with with 1:45 left in the half and the Grizzlies would go into halftime with a 48-17 lead.

The second half was the complete opposite of the first half. Butler scored just 16 points over the final 20 minutes. For a while, the Grizzlies held Dodge City in check, keeping the lead near 30 points. But Dodge City closed strong to end the game, cutting the final margin to just 17 points.

Butler was led in scoring by Ashlee Ivy with 15 points. Samantha Satterlee scored 10 left, all in the first half. Jamillah Bonner had nine points and 11 rebounds, barely missing out on a double-double performance.

The Grizzlies are now 17-5 on the season and finish the first half of Jayawk West Conference play with a 5-3 record. The Grizzlies begin the second half of conference play with a home game on Saturday against Garden City at 5:30 p.m.

Late slump dooms Butler to rare home loss

The Butler men saw a seven-point lead evaporate late in a 63-54 home loss to Dodge City at the Power Plant on Wednesday.

Butler jumped ahead early by a 10-8 score and let the majority of the first half. The Grizzlies were up 27-22 with 3:22 left in the first half before Dodge City scored the final seven points of the half, taking a 29-27 lead at the break.

Butler regained the lead early in the second half and built a seven-point lead on three occasions. The latest came on a basket in the paint by Jordan Madrid-Andrews with 7:46 to play in the game that made it 46-39.

From that point on, however, Dodge City outscored the Grizzlies 24-8 to steal the road conference win. Most of that difference came at the free throw line, where Dodge City was 31-41 while Butler was just 8-18.

Butler was led by Shomari Triggs with 12 points while Sean Osler had nine.

Butler drops to 16-6 overall and 4-4 in Jayhawk West Conference play. The Grizzlies are home on Saturday to take on Garden City for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.